Water Aerobics and Chlorine Resistant Swimsuits

There is a certain kind of mortification that happens when you can't lift the weights up over your head in water aerobics—not because you lack the strength—but because your swimsuit gained inches while you were trying to lose them. Further, you're afraid parts of yourself will escape if you raise your arms too high.

The key to choosing the right swimsuit for the right occasion doesn't have to be an exercise in torture or the essay in cruelty often found in fluorescent-lit changing rooms. Simply put, if you plan to exercise in a chlorinated pool, we recommend that you choose your suit not just for support and ease of movement, but that you also pay close attention to the various fabrics that are designed to withstand pool chemicals. The key word to look for when choosing a suit for pool exercise is: chlorine-resistant.

Essentially, chlorine-resistant means exactly what you think it does. The fabric, or blend of fabrics, is designed to allow the swimsuit to not only keep its color, but to retain its shape, too.

Women have long had secret love affairs with Spandex, so when choosing a swimsuit for exercise, keep that love affair alive and look for a suit that has a small percentage of Spandex (or Lycra®) combined with a larger percentage of a polyester material. This fabric blend combines to help keep the suit resistant to fading much longer than if you were to buy a swimsuit not made with chlorine-resistance in mind. The added bonus to buying a chlorine-proof swimsuit is that your investment will hold its shape longer. Such a swimsuit should also allow you to move easily in the water and to feel protected. And all ladies know that swimsuits and other fashion favorites that once fit like a glove, but now make us feel vulnerable and not at our best, quickly find their place in the rubbish bin.

There are numerous chlorine resistant swimsuit designs that help you look and feel your best while working out your body and soul: racer backs, keyhole backs, and tankinis can help you to feel sporty and powerful. But the care you take in choosing your chlorine-resistant swimsuit also helps you to feel like a smarty.

Share with us a time when you felt powerful in your swimwear. And if you haven't yet felt that power, what are you going to do to go out and get it?